Today at TVFury, “We’re talkin’ baseball.” Sing it with me … or at least take a listen to the podcast.

162Pixels.com is the latest sports and technology project spearheaded by Sioux Falls entrepreneur (and all-around good guy) John T. Meyer. In short, he and his brother, Paul, are putting together an ebook that puts some of the stat-based baseball analytics in picture format. What’s more, they’re paying for the project by raising funds publicly using a site called KickStarter.com.

It’s a clever idea and worth a listen if you’re into baseball, technology or business.

So the Oscars and the NBA All-Star Game were held Sunday night. Yes, Sunday. As in two days ago. Nobody covers old news like TVFury (especially when Fury is globe-trotting). And nobody does shameless self-congratulations like the American entertainment industry.

On one coast, Hollywood, a city built on pretending, was taking itself way too seriously; on the other, pro athletes were participating in a farce of a competition.

Actually, that might be too harsh. I don’t genuinely care about either event beyond using the game as a bit of background noise while I tip off the busiest two weeks of my work year; it’s tofu. But a lot of other people do. (more…)

Then again, it’s not every week that Fury heads to South Africa to visit his in-laws.

That is the subject of today’s discussion: Travel to and exploration of South Africa. Fury has done this before, and this time he sets the stage for what sure sounds like a pretty sweet adventure that’s likely to include some warm-weather penguins.

Time for the latest edition of The Tapes. I’m making last-minute preparations for my trip to Cape Town. But nothing – nothing – comes before TVFury. Onward:

* Ricky Rubio had a horrific game on Wednesday against the Jazz. The Wolves made their comeback with him on the bench and he hit only 1 of 6 from the line. I don’t care. He’s still awesome to watch, is a huge reason for the complete turnaround of a woeful franchise and has them in position for a playoff run. Also, he did this dance last night.

* This quarterback from the Broncos received a bit of attention this season and GQ writer Michael Silver did an oral history of this QB’s season. This is the piece famous for Brady Quinn’s supposedly insulting quotes about this particular overshadowed quarterback.

* Big week for TV’s employer as it began implementing a paywall on its Web site. It’s part of a company-wide move by Gannett. All of its American papers other than USA Today will go to a similar model in 2012.
Time will tell how this will work out, although I think even the tightest of wads can agree that it was an inevitability. Giving away your product isn’t a sound, long-term business model. What’s been most interesting in the short term are all the logistical questions from readers. Hopefully, that means they’re still interested.

* Apparently, there’s a new form of caffeine hitting the market … the breathable kind. That’s right, no need to sip or chug, anymore, the latest trend in energy ingestion is, well, huffing. To be honest, I’d probably prefer a pure, concentrated liquid form. The idea of purposely breathing in a chemical makes me think two things: 1) a gangly 10-year-old boy clinging to an inhaler during gym class and 2) this dude in Fargo who was notorious for sniffing silver paint in a downtown park.
As much as I’m dependent on caffeine, I think I’ll pass on this method if only makes the habit seem more detrimental.

One of the icons of everyday sports journalism, Mr. Bob Ryan, is calling it a career. He announced the decision last week, his final full-time assignment for the Boston Globe being the London Olympics. Not a bad way to go.

Ryan is 65, has had a long and distinguished career and made more bank than most of us ink-stained wretches could dream of. End of story, right? Not exactly.

See, before riding off into the sunset, he took a couple parting shots at the state of the industry (and not the failing financial part), hinting that this played a part in him hanging ’em up. Turns out, he’s not entirely on board with blogging and tweeting or the audiences who enjoy those formats. (more…)

NEAR BEAUFORT, S.C. – I’d been on many January bird hunts in the past. They are blisteringly cold affairs full of layers of clothes, chocolate in the pick-up to keep your energy up and frostbitten fingers – albeit not the kind that leads to amputations; just your run-of-the-mill ‘I can’t feel certain body parts’ and it hurts so bad to warm them that I tear up. This would be considerably different. I had been invited to enjoy a January Quail hunt on an exclusive hunting club in South Carolina. Frostbite was not in the forecast. When I left the house, gear in hand, it was 7 degrees outside. Hunting birds the next day, it was 70. Funny how that messes with you.

Turkey Hill Plantation is not a lodge. It’s not a farm or an outfitter. It’s a hunting club. Think country club; complete with clubhouse, staff and equipment. Only it’s on a working cotton plantation, and instead of golf ball it’s … quail. Like a country club, you can only hunt here if you are a member or are accompanied by one. It’s all very formal. This particular plantation has a long and rich history. Purchased by the Milbank family of New York in 1939, it has played an interesting role in America’s history over the years. I strongly encourage you to check it out here. (more…)

As you might have noticed, TV is going through an indy rap phase. But he might have figured out why: It sort of represents his current lot in life … hustling, middle markets, writing. Yes, writing.

That’s one of the topics covered this week on the TVFury podcast with rap collaborators Grieves and Budos, formerly of the Warped Tour and current of the Snowstorm Music Tour. Turns out the music man (Budos) is more inspired by literature than the lyricist (Grieves). Interesting, huh?

The duo also has plenty of experience creating on the road, having spent two consecutive years there.

My Sports Illustrated arrives on Wednesdays. Last week I couldn’t wait for it to show up in my mailbox. I was anxious, lonely, ready to spend a good half-hour with the magazine. I checked the mailbox at 2 with no luck, then finally found it at 4 p.m.

* Some upstart paper in New York took a road trip with the Butler basketball team, chronicling the struggles of a squad that’s been to consecutive national title games. The most amazing stat in the story: The school got an estimated $1 billion in exposure from its two tournament runs.

* No need to finish that World Beer Tour at your local Old Chicago: CNBC has saved you some time (and calories) by picking the 15 best brews in the world. It’s … a pretty good list? Let’s be honest: There’s no way for most of us to double check this. Well, unless we have access to Tyler Perry’s private jet in order to track down some of the global varieties. It reminds me of a running joke my friends had in college. We’d proclaim ourselves “No. 1-ranked” at something completely inane and/or impossible to measure. For example, this bullet item probably makes me No. 1-ranked at connecting fermented drinks to fresh corpses.
You’re right: Pretty stupid.